Testimony of Ken Eraas, Noxious Weeds Specialist
Plant Industries Division
North Dakota Department of Agriculture
Senate Bill 2319
February 6, 2003
9:45 a.m.
Senate Agriculture Committee
Roosevelt Park Room

Chairman Flakoll and members of the Agriculture Committee, my name is Ken Eraas. I am a Noxious Weeds Specialist in the Department of Agriculture. I am here to testify in support of Senate Bill 2319.

Saltcedar is a nonnative, large shrub or small tree which was imported into the U.S. in the mid 1800's as a horticultural plant and as a stream bank stabilizer. It has proven to be very invasive and damaging in many Western and Southern states. Saltcedar prefers moist areas to get established.

But once established, it will root down as far as 40 feet to reach groundwater sources. In doing so, the plant takes up soluble salts and transfers them to their leaves where the salt is transpired out and deposited at the soil surface. This creates a saline condition where no other vegetation will grow. It rapidly becomes a dense monoculture. Not only does it present serious problems for water competition but also lowers water quality by increased salts and solids in the water. The plant is not eaten or utilized as cover by wildlife or domestic livestock. Saltcedar is a very high water user. An average plant in our region of the U.S. uses about 200 gallons per day or a solid acre requiring about 8 million gallons per year. The plant produces approximately one-half million seeds per year which are the size of ground black pepper. Dispersal of the seeds can be wide spread by wind and movement of wildlife, livestock and man.

Saltcedar was first discovered growing in the wild in North Dakota in 2001 along the Yellowstone River in McKenzie County. Since that time, other populations have been found in all of the counties bordering Lake Sakakawea, as well as in Slope, Billings, Morton, Ransom, and Sargent Counties. Horticultural plantings have also been reported in a number of counties (Figure 1). A survey for Saltcedar was initiated in 2001, but limited funding and staff allowed for only small amounts of area to be completed. Initially it was thought that Saltcedar hadn't spread far into the state. In 2002 federal, state, and local agencies worked to survey and eradicate Saltcedar infestations in various locations. Agencies that participated included: ND Dept. of Agriculture, ND Game & Fish Dept., ND State Land Dept., ND State Water Commission, ND Parks & Rec. Dept., USDA-APHIS, USDA-Forest Service, US Fish and Wild Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Army Corps of Engineers, Three Affiliated Tribes, McKenzie County Grazing Association, along with county weed boards from Williams, Mountrail, Ward, Dunn, Slope, Golden Valley, Billings Bowman, Morton, Burleigh and McKenzie Counties. In all, nearly $120,000 was spent surveying and controlling Saltcedar on approximately 250 miles of shoreline in 2001 and 2002.

Experience with Spotted Knapweed in North Dakota demonstrates that an extensive system of public information/education combined with an aggressive control campaign can yield results.

Spotted Knapweed was first reported in North Dakota in the mid 1980's. While Montana reports over 4.5 million acres of Spotted Knapweed, North Dakota's aggressive program has limited the acreage to less than 2,000 acres statewide.

It is the desire of the county weed boards, the Department of Agriculture and other state and federal agencies to use a similar education program combined with an extensive survey and control program against Saltcedar. The problem is still at the stage where an aggressive program can hold the population in check and minimize the negative effects. If allowed to grow for even a year uncontrolled, it may attain a population which will be too extensive to be effectively and economically control.

North Dakota has the advantage of learning from the experiences of other states such as Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Texas and Arizona in dealing with Saltcedar. By allocating $250,000 for Saltcedar survey, control and public awareness now, North Dakota can work to prevent the situations other states have experienced. Texas Extension staff calculates that to effectively control Saltcedar on only the Pecos and Colorado rivers, and not on any tributaries, along their full length would cost 8 billion dollars. North Dakota has an opportunity to avoid a similar environmental disaster.

Chairman Flakoll and committee members, I would urge you to pass SB 2319.

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.